Friday, September 08, 2006

Well, now. That Was Fun.

The first two shows I saw last night turned out to be my faves.

My first stop was in Alphabet City where Little Cakes has opened it's new space. It was worth the wait. This vibrant installation of objects, and exquisite prints and drawings by Guillermina Baiguera and Julian Gatto opened a door I hadn't thought about for a long time. It felt like an olfactory memory. Think of bread baking. Think of really good bread baking and a jar full of sugar.

The first show I hit in Chelsea was Jennifer Dalton's at Winkleman Plus Ultra. Hell, yeah! Dalton wrestles the art world and we win. The viewer is confronted with the question "Would you rather be a loser or a pig?" The artist throws stones in just about every direction imagineable; artists, gallerists, collectors, critics, and pretty much anybody who walks into the gallery. And she has a good arm. (Jerry and Roberta. I love ya, but good luck sussing this one out.) This is fearless stuff.

On a musical note, before I hooked up with some friends I made my way through the crowds listening to Von's classic Satanic Blood Angel. It's perfect anti-clusterfuck music. No crowd can possibly be as pummeling as those blast beats. To quote Pat Benetar's nearly DADA-esque and completely idiotic lyric: Hell is for hell.